WHO notes 60% decrease in Europe's COVID incidence since April

The weekly COVID incidence in Europe fell from 1.7 million in mid-April to about 685,000 new cases last week; a 60% decrease in a month, Report informs citing the Regional Director of the WHO Europe Hans Kluge.

However, Kluge explained that last week the incidence remained high in eight countries of the region - more than 150 new cases per 100,000 people. He stressed that the pandemic is not over yet.

According to Kluge, the WHO believes that in the coming months, the lifting of restrictive measures and increased mobility of people could lead to an increase in the number of daily infection cases in Europe, he added.

He stressed that if social measures are relaxed, as is currently being done in most countries of the region, efforts will need to redouble in testing and sequencing, isolation, contact tracing, quarantine, and vaccination to maintain control and ensure that downward trends continue.